Attention Deficit Disorder as a factor in the origin of behavioural disturbance in schools

The education of children with behavioural difficulties is under scrutiny from various quarters. The provision of specialised school environments isbeing questioned and, at the same time, there is pressure to minimise the exclusion of disruptive pupils. The study reported in this article lookedat a group of children whose behaviour had prompted placement in a school for emotionally and behaviourally disordered (EBD) pupils. The results showed the overall rate of psychiatric disturbance in the group was 86% and, in particular, that the rate of Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD) was 70%. These findings suggest that a significant minority of disruptive pupils may have their difficulties compounded by the presence of ADHD, and raises the question of whether specific screening processes should be established for such pupils.     

Market Ideology and Accountability: case studies in the early childhood and special education sectors in New Zealand

ABSTRACT

Conservatism is becoming evident in recent policy changes affecting some sectors in the New Zealand education system, such as the early childhood and special education sectors. An administrative mechanism called ‘contestability’ by the Treasury is used to encourage new providers to compete with services traditionally offered by the welfare state. The author argues that this introduced competition has meant women in particular, and Maori, have suffered setbacks to their progress towards better life chances.

Two models of ‘contestability’ are described and analysed in these case studies. The analyses show that the implementation of the models has been problematic and strenuously resisted by teachers and others. Teachers (and parents) are not comfortable with being thrust into the role of consumer as competition is created by the state.

Michael Apple's theory about Market Liberals reconstructing our ideas about managing inequality is used to explain the persistence of decision‐makers in the face of resistance.     

Improving the Academic Performance of Non‐native English‐Speaking Students: the Contribution of Pre‐sessional English Language Programmes

There is an established, if weak, inverse relationship between levels of English language proficiency and academic performance in higher education. In response, higher education institutions (HEIs) insist upon minimum entry requirements concerning language for international applicants. Many HEIs now also offer pre‐sessional English courses to bring applicants up to the designated language requirement. This paper revisits the research into language proficiency and academic performance using data on all full‐time students (17,925) attending a major UK HEI in the academic year 2011–2012, 4,342 of whom were non‐native English speakers. The findings confirm that while higher International English Language Testing System (IELTS) marks at entry translate into higher grade point averages (GPAs), students who undertake pre‐sessional courses do notably worse in GPA terms than students who arrive with acceptable (for the course) IELTS scores. These findings suggest HEIs (and, by extension, international students) could benefit from a review regarding the appropriateness of current pre‐sessional English language proficiency programmes.