Computer Club for Girls: The problem with seeing girls as the problem

This paper presents findings from an evaluation of the Computer Clubs for Girls, an initiative originally delivered in the South East of England, designed to encourage more girls to take up information technology (IT) courses and careers. By targeting girls aged 10–14, the club aimed to provide members with a ‘gender relevant’ experience of IT, tackling issues of access, confidence and negative attitudes about IT. The evaluation, conducted over four years, included the collection of quantitative and qualitative data from members and non-members of the clubs. It included a longitudinal component in order to assess the longer-term impacts of the club. The findings support the critical view that initiatives based on assumptions about the relationship between girls and IT misinterpret ‘the problem’ about female under-representation in IT, and are unlikely to have a significant or sustained impact on what remains an occupational and subject area divided by gender typing. The paper argues for an approach which challenges the social and cultural discourses that maintain this gender divide.     

The Relative Achievement of the Objectives of Elementary School Science in Minnesota Schools

The authors investigated the relationship between self-perceptions of ability and achievement in math, science, and English from Grades 8 to 11 (N = 342). A state-trait model that included an association between stable (i.e., trait-like) components of self-perceptions and achievement as well as time-specific (i.e., state-like) effects during the transition to high school (i.e., Grade 8 to Grade 9) demonstrated superior fit to alternative models that did not incorporate these features. Stable components of self-perceptions of ability and achievement exhibited a substantial association in this model. In most instances, however, there also was evidence of a positive effect of self-perceptions in Grade 8 on achievement in Grade 9.     

Primary Student Teachers' Ideas about Teaching a Physics Topic

This study examines Finnish and English primary student teachers' ideas when planning to teach a physics topic during their science education studies. Many primary student teachers lack sufficient subject knowledge, which prevents them from constructing the scientific pedagogical content knowledge that enables them to concentrate on pupils' thinking and process skills needed in a physics topic. Therefore they will have problems constructing learning environments that encourage pupils to take active control of their learning. In order to develop effective pedagogical content knowledge it is of the utmost importance that the science educators responsible for physics courses pay special attention to the promotion of favourable attitudes towards the teaching of physics topics. This can be done by focusing on how to teach some basic familiar topics. Quality, not quantity, is important in focusing on both subject knowledge and pedagogical content knowledge. The construction of pedagogical content knowledge is a complex interrelationship of attitudes, subject, and pedagogical knowledge. All three of them need to be developed to enable students to confidently and effectively teach young children.     

BODYFAITH AND THE MIND'S HEART: EDUCATIONAL HEALING FOR COMMUNITY

In this paper, I will show that: 1) human consciousness has evolved over time and history, which means that one can no longer “know” and experience the world as the pre‐modern, archaic communities once did; 2) however, there are elements in our contemporary practices of spirituality that are seen particularly through the window of popular religiosity, which can access, though not fully, some of the “mythical,” the archaic, and the primordial wisdom that has been lost or buried through the modernization process; for the Korean/ Korean‐Americans, these elements are most deeply found in musok, namely, Korean Shamanism, which is an indigenous Korean popular magico‐religious practice; and, 3) through the lens of imagination, some elements of Korean shamanic spirituality will be identified to further enrich, nurture, and refresh the dry and hardened religious images of our times.

     

An approach to ethical practice in management and trainer training

This paper notes the recent rise in the number of courses, conferences, and publications devoted to the issue of ethics. It considers two different approaches to ethical training, one deduced from first philosophical principles of social ethics, and the other based on case studies of practical issues. The paper argues that a combination of both approaches is necessary to ensure situational applicability, whilst guarding against criticisms of moral relativism and expediency. In addition, the paper argues for an understanding of, and commitment to, personal integrity in professional practice.     

Teaching and researching critical academic writing: scrutiny of an action research process

This article aims to explore one way of making connections between a teaching problem, a research process and a theory arrived at through action research. The article suggests this as a fruitful approach to pedagogic research in general. It focuses on a particular action research project on developing critical academic writing in an international context, illustrating how a particular teaching problem led to an action research investigation which resulted in a principled, theoretical framework to describe and guide the development of critical academic writing. Arriving at the theoretical framework involved the iterative interaction of theory with practice and required the integration of multiple theoretical perspectives. The theoretical framework was based on general principles or praxiology. There are few studies of this type on critical academic writing, or indeed any pedagogic issue, which seek to: (1) provide a framework for teaching; (2) operationalise this framework; (3) rigorously research its impact in in-depth case studies; and then (4) revise the framework in the light of reflection and analysis.     

An investigation into the role played by research assessment in the socio-geographic fragmentation of undergraduate economics education in the UK

Student engagement in academic activities is a critical factor contributing to the overall success of students studying in higher education institutions. Yet the factors influencing student engagement in academic activities are still largely unknown. This study begins to address this knowledge gap by investigating the influence of student connectedness (relationships with peers and teachers), motivation to study (sense of purpose) and perception of workload upon student engagement in academic activities. During 2015, a total of 209 students responded to a survey distributed to first-year undergraduate students enrolled in a university business school in Queensland, Australia. Structural equation modelling was used to investigate the proposed relationships. Results suggest that student-student (peer) relationships, teacher-student relationships, and students’ sense of purpose for studying a higher education degree, were central to student engagement in academic activities. In addition, teacher-student relationships, and a strong sense of purpose were central to perceptions of student workloads. Finally, sense of purpose was found to moderate the relationship between both teacher-student and student-student relationships and also, perceptions of workload and student engagement. The findings from this study support the importance of developing effective teacher-student relationships, facilitating positive student-student relationships and communicating a clear sense of purpose to students, so as to improve their engagement in academic activities and optimise perceptions of workloads.     

Violating Lau: Sheltered English Instruction programs and equal educational opportunity

This article considers the impact of the Lau v. Nichols Supreme Court decision on the education of English learners in Washington State, US In particular, we focus on the most popular educational program in the state, Sheltered English Instruction. We first examine how intertextual links to various policy texts and discourses shape Washington language policy and then look at how educators in four school districts interpret and appropriate this policy. Based on fieldwork in four school districts, we argue that English learners are often submerged in English-only classrooms, in which the curriculum is not fundamentally changed to meet their needs, thus denying them equal educational opportunity according to Lau v. Nichols.