Brazilian schools: comparing students' interests with what is being taught

This paper aims to explore the complex relationship between self-image and community membership. It draws on an in-depth case study,which was originally part of a larger study examining the factors which contribute to pupils’ quiet, withdrawn and non-participatory behaviour in school. Based on observations and interviews collected during her last two years in primary school, this paper explains Rasheeda’s habitual non-participation in school in terms of her limited and unchanging self-image and her failure to perceive herself, and be perceived as, a member of a learning community.     

Early home learning support and home mathematics environment as predictors of children's mathematical skills between age 4 and 6: A longitudinal analysis using video observations and survey data

This large-scale and longitudinal study examines early home support for learning, formal/informal home mathematics activities, and their associations with children's mathematical development between age two and six. Data were collected in Germany between 2012 and 2018, N = 1184 (49% girls, 51% boys), and 15% of children had parents with a migration history. Linguistically and mathematically stimulating, attentive, and responsive parent–child engagement at age two predicted children's mathematical skills at age four and six (small-to-medium effect size). Both formal and informal home mathematical activities at age five predicted children's mathematical skills at age six (small effect size), and were associated with children's prior mathematics attainment. This study also provides indicators where individual differences and social circumstances are relevant to understanding different early mathematics outcomes.     

What is the current level of knowledge and confidence of mainstream school SENCOs in sensory integration theory and using sensory strategies within education?

The aims of the study were: to identify the number of SENCOs who have received specific training on sensory integration. To determine the understanding of the eight senses and sensory integration theory and sensory strategies. Determine any common gaps in knowledge or misconceptions. Fifty-five surveys were completed. 40% of respondents had received training on sensory processing. There was a significant chi-squared correlation between those that had received training and those that stated they did not know or made guesses about what the vestibular and proprioceptive senses are important for. There was a correlation between those that had received training and those that had good knowledge of the signs of sensory hyper-responsivity. There was no statistical significance of increased knowledge on sensory hypo-responsivity between those who had and had not received training. SENCOs who rated their school as being sensory-friendly had a greater understanding of what sensory integration is important for. Pertinently, those who rated their school as being ‘sensory-friendly’ (45.5%) were 8.5 times more likely to know sensory integration is needed for self-regulation. A number of recommendations are made including the need for greater collaboration between therapists and teachers to increase understanding of sensory integration and the impact of this on a child's education and wellbeing at school. Sensory strategy programmes are to be written with teaching staff and not given by the therapist in an ‘expert’ role. Sensory integration awareness training, including why and how to utilise sensory strategies, is to be encompassed in the SENCO national qualification.     

Departmental Climate and Student Experiences in Graduate Geography Programs

This study explores how graduate students enrolled in M.A./M.S. and Ph.D. geography programs perceive the social and academic climate of their departments. A second objective is to understand how these students self-assess their own professional abilities, values, and goals, and whether these self-assessments differ across demographic and institutional contexts. The survey instrument for this research is based on data collected from graduate student focus groups and on validated constructs of academic culture and climate from previous research. T-tests, ANOVA, and regression analyses identified significant differences among graduate students and their perceptions of departmental climate when compared on the basis of gender, citizenship, race/ethnicity, disciplinary subfield, and institutional type. Interview data provide additional context for analysis of the survey data. The primary areas in which we detected differences in graduate students’ experiences were 1) diversity issues, 2) disciplinary and institutional cultures, 3) career planning and development, 4) financial matters, and 5) quality of the learning environment. These differences result from the varying social and academic dynamics of graduate programs, illustrating the importance of the local environment in shaping student experiences.

Perceptions and experiences of K-12 educational leaders in response to the 27 April 2011 tornadoes

The purpose of this phenomenological study was to capture first-hand accounts of K-12 educational leaders whose school districts were directly affected by the deadly 27 April 2011 tornadoes in rural Alabama, USA. This study was framed by the literature base of leadership; specifically crisis leadership and resilience theory. Findings are organised under the headings of crisis management, crisis leadership characteristics, post-crisis support and crisis preparation. In this study, educational leaders demonstrated resilience in the face of adversity and took decisive steps to rebuild not only their schools but also their communities as well. Additionally, leaders expressed the importance of sharing their stories with others so that the lessons they learned in response to the tornadoes would not soon be forgotten. The study concludes with reflections about crisis planning and implications for future research as well as a call to action to improve crisis management in K-12 educational settings.     

Auswirkungen einer Intervention auf die Auseinandersetzung und Arbeit mit Bildungsstandards bei Mathematik-Lehrkräften

The introduction of educational standards in Germany forced teachers to change their perspective in order to achieve competence-oriented teaching. The initial representative surveys throughout Germany indicated that a short time after the introduction of the educational standards, teachers in various school forms were still very slow to implement the idea of competence-oriented teaching in their everyday school life. This article presents the effects of a newly developed intervention programme in which mathematics teachers familiarised themselves with educational standards for the first time. The teacher data and the performance data of the pupils of the schools participating in the project are compared in a longitudinal study with the data of schools which were not included in the intervention programme. The results indicate that after the intervention programme has run for one year, mathematics teachers in the project schools are more competence-oriented in their teaching and reflect more intensively on the concept of the educational standards than mathematics teachers in the comparison schools.